Retail box volume on way up in ?10?

Retail box volume on way up in Æ10?    Major U.S. retail container ports could see their first year-over-year increases in import cargo volume in more than two years beginning in early 2010, according to the monthly Port Tracker report released Monday by the National Retail Federation and IHS Global Insight.
   'There's not enough data yet to establish a clear trend, but we're hopeful that this is a sign of recovery,' said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy.

Gold

   U.S. ports surveyed handled 1.14 million TEUs in September, the most recent month for which actual numbers are available. That was down 3 percent from August and down 16 percent from September 2008, marking the 27th month in a row to see a year-over-year decline.
   Volume for October, traditionally the peak month of the year, was estimated at 1.17 million TEUs, down 15 percent from last year. November is forecast at 1.09 million TEUs, down 11 percent from last year, December at 1.06 million TEUs, flat compared with last year.
   The report now expects the ports it surveys to move 12.7 million TEUs in 2009, a 16.8 percent drop from last year's 15.2 million TEUs and the lowest since the 12.47 million TEUs imported in 2003.

Bingham

   'The second half of 2009 has continued to see declines from 2008's levels, but not as large as we saw during the first half of this year,' IHS Global Insight Economist Paul Bingham said. 'These 'less bad' numbers are evidence that the industry is seeing early signs of recovery.'
   Port Tracker forecasts volumes in January 2010 will be 1.03 million TEUs, down 3 percent from the same 2009 period, but predicts volumes will begin to rise in February and March.
   All U.S. ports covered by Port Tracker — Los Angeles-Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York-New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston and Savannah on the East Coast; and Houston on the Gulf Coast — are rated 'low' for congestion, the same as last month.